


Crimson Wish | 爪紅

by AzureMei



Category: Thunderbolt Fantasy 東離劍遊紀 (TV)
Genre: Bless Ling Ya, Fluff, M/M, Reminiscing, Translation, When they were still in Xi You
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 03:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17573213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzureMei/pseuds/AzureMei
Summary: Lang's nails' color has a meaning.





	Crimson Wish | 爪紅

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [爪紅](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/452852) by 壱空. 



> Author’s Note: When I was analyzing Lang’s nails, I found a whole custom about dyeing nails with flowers, so I made it my story theme. The legend mentioned in the text seems to originate from Korea.   
> I think that red balsam fits Lang’s image. The name goes without saying. The meanings include “do not touch me,” “short temper,” “impatient resolve,” “ardent love,” etc. 
> 
> TN: Okay so balsam in Japanese is 鳳仙花 (Hōsenka) which consists of three kanji or characters. Each one has a different meaning: phoenix, hermit, and flower respectively. Also bear in mind flower language can vary between countries. Enjoy!

After running away from enemies for the entire day, Shang and Lang finally settled at a diner to eat their first meal. As Shang enjoyed sake and skewers, Lang chose not to drink while trying out the owner’s recommendation of beef noodles. Due to Lang’s long hair, he used his left hand to hold it when he blew the soup. Watching his partner’s concentration on the meal, Shang couldn’t help but to crack a smile. Then his gaze focused on Lang’s fingers; he noticed the musician’s crimson nails. They didn’t have that color yesterday.

“Oi Lang, what’s with your nails?” Shang asked, worrying Lang was injured.

The orange-haired individual blinked and tilted his head. After a few seconds, he realized what Shang meant and showed the hand to him.

“They were dyed with red balsam!”

The biwa explained on behalf of its owner. Shang felt a bit surprised. Despite Lang’s appearance, the musician wasn’t really concerned about makeup. Shang thought it was quite rare to see his partner had his nails dyed.

“The girls from that village taught me.”

The village which Lang mentioned was the one they visited yesterday. It was just the typical rural village, yet Shang’s face turned sour by hearing it mentioned.

“When you went to finish your job, Wu Yao was super popular.”

Then Ling Ya started to recite what happened.

 

\---------

 

By chance, they saved a young lady along the way. A few minutes passed since Shang separated from Lang to escort the girl back to her home. During that time, Lang strolled around the humble village to kill time and settled down on a rock by the roadside. The musician strummed his biwa. More time passed while Lang played songs.

Ling Ya grumbled, “What’s taking that guy so long-“

Lang strummed the string upward to affirm Ling Ya’s words. The weather was wonderful that day. The bright autumn sky was clear of clouds. It was indeed not a bad choice to relax and enjoy the scenery. Nevertheless, Lang grew impatient. The wheat fields were deserted after the harvesting season, and an old man walked along a small path alongside his cow. Beyond that, there was a group of five to six girls gathering underneath a big tree. It was the only place filled with vivacious atmosphere.

Upon noticing its master’s gaze, Ling Ya asked, “You wanna know what they’re doing?” And before Lang could mutter an answer, Ling Ya shouted “Hey! What’re you guys doing?”

Lang frantically covered the biwa’s mouth, but it was too late. The girls turned their heads in Lang’s direction. As some of them giggled and talked about the musician, two girls walked toward them.

“Are you a traveler, Mister?”

“You are the one who played the biwa a while ago, right? Are you a bard?”

The fourteen-or-fifteen-year-old girls, pigtails behind their backs, grabbed Lang’s hands and pulled him to where the rest of their friends sat. Lang could shake off their grips with no effort, yet he didn’t. Despite being uncommunicative, he was kind at heart and didn’t want to get hurt them.

There sat four girls under the tree. Seeing their friends pull a beautiful, young man toward them, they couldn’t help but let out a yelp. Meanwhile, Ling Ya spotted bandages around each girl’s fingers.

“You guys got hurt?” The biwa worriedly questioned.

Although the girls were startled by the talking biwa, they assumed it was Lang’s ventriloquism and returned to their usual cheerful voices.

“We’re fine.” One of the girls unwrapped the bandages and showed her hand to Lang.

“What are those? Flower petals?”

On the girl’s nails were several red petals stacked on top of one another. Lang jumped as the petal’s liquid extract spread out and formed a faint red color which looked like blood.

“It’s from the red balsam!”

Another girl took off her bandages. This time a minced mixture of petals and leaves covered the nails.

“Oh, the nail dye thing!” Ling Ya pointed out with a loud voice.

The girls giggled. “That’s right!”

Balsam. A flower that bloomed between summer’s end and autumn’s beginning. The color of its petals varies, but the most well-known one was red. The resemblance to a phoenix’s elegance and color earned the flower its name.

“Put the petals on your nails like this. Wrap them in bandages and keep it like that overnight. Then your nails are dyed a stunning scarlet the following morning!” The girl explained while putting on her bandages. In the meantime, Lang helped a girl with one disabled arm retie her loose bandages.

“Thank you!” She beamed at Lang.

“Mister, your clothes are red.”

“Like this flower’s color.”

Another girl touched Lang’s sleeves and pointed it out. The deep scarlet combined with orange frills fluttered elegantly in the wind. Altogether, Lang appeared like a phoenix with his three braids resembling a tail.

“Red brings good luck! So, the nails can also be an amulet!”

“Oh? But didn’t you dye it for a different reason?”

Being busted by her friend, the girl blushed and cast her eyes downward.

Lang titled his head. “A different reason?”

“It’s also said that if this color remains until the first snowfall, your first love will come true!”

A girl whose personality was energetic proudly elaborated. Perhaps the embarrassed girl believed in that legend and dyed her nails. Watching her, Lang didn’t deny the statement so as not to break her dream. Nonetheless, the energetic girl raised her eyebrow, noticing Lang still in doubt.

“Ah, you don’t believe me, do you?”

“Hm, I won’t deny it. But isn’t it just a folktale?” Ling Ya spoke for its master again. The girl clicked her tongue at Lang.

“Actually, another girl from the village tried this last year and it worked!”

Around this time last year, the village headman’s daughter and family were attacked by a group of robbers during their trip. They were saved by a random man who happened to be passing by. That man disappeared without telling his name. The daughter couldn’t forget the man’s figure as he walked away. She had met her first love. At the time, that said legend was spread among the women in the town. The daughter tried and managed to keep her nails the same color. In the end, it seemed like she reencountered the man who saved her life today.

The story was too convenient to believe, but then Shang appeared in Lang’s mind. The man’s actions perfectly fit Shang’s image, and made the musician think the legend was indeed convenient but by no means probable. The girls in the village most likely heard this story and proceeded to mimic the daughter.

“First love, huh? A bitter kind of sweetness isn’t so bad, heh.“

As Lang nodded to Ling Ya’s words, another girl peeked at the musician’s face. “Do you have a first love?”

Land jumped at the innocent question.

“First love? What’s on your mind, Wu Yao?”

Land could feel the blood flowing to his face as Ling Ya teased him. “Ah…” His dry throat couldn’t utter a word, but a figure of _that person_ crossed his mind.

“Eh, you have one?!”

“How is it between you two?”

Lang was surrounded in the blink of an eye. All the girls were completely curious to know about this _first love_. Dealing with this appeared more challenging than clashing with imperial authorities. Seeing its master troubled, Ling Ya decided to lend a hand.

“Okay, okay. State your questions in order please.”

This would make satiating their curiosities easier, or Ling Ya thought as Lang glared daggers at the biwa. Regardless, Lang couldn’t raise an objection to the girls’ hopeful eyes.

“Me first! When did you experience your first love?”

“…A few years ago. “

No one expected it to be so recent; the girls squealed in delight.

“Me next! What’s this person like? Cute? Beautiful?”

“…Good-looking. Not a beauty but cute when smiling.” Lang’s mind wandered. How endearing it was to watch that person stuff rice cakes into his mouth.

“What was it that made you have feelings for them?”

“…I don’t remember.”

The girls voiced their dissatisfaction, but Lang told the truth. When had these feelings sprouted in him? It could be love at first sight. It could be the feeling that bloomed during the time they travelled together. Nonetheless, there was one thing he knew for sure. That person was the only one to cause Lang’s chest to overflow with insufferable affection.

“So, what do you like about them?”

“…Everything.”

The girls screamed again. At this point Ling Ya retorted, “Hey, hey, aren’t you completely head over heels?”

For Lang he just spoke his thoughts. He admired that person’s strength and gentleness. Even though his kindhearted nature attracted trouble, it was exactly this reason Lang grew to love that person. There was no other answer.

“Then, are you and that person doing well?”

“…That’s…”

It was the feeling he couldn’t muster from his mouth. With an understanding look, one girl took Lang’s right hand into hers.

“Well, it looks like you have it tough.”

“By the way, I heard that the princess in the capital fell in love with a musician.”

“But due to opposing imperial authorities, the musician is wanted.”

All the girls’ eyes were on Lang. He shook his head and said he also heard the story somewhere along the way.

 

“Anyway, do you want to try dyeing nails?”

The girl who comforted Land proposed. Everyone around them agreed.

“That’s a good idea!”

They seemed to assume Lang suffered from an unrequited love. While Lang was still puzzled, Ling Ya laughed, “Why don’t you have a try? It looks fun.”

At this point, Lang gave up. He strummed the strings once and held out his left hand.

 

\---------

 

_“First cut the petals and leaves then pulverize them into paste. Adding a bit of salt would make the color more vivid. Then apply the paste onto your nails and carefully wrap the bandage around the fingers. Let it stay overnight and it’s done!”_

Lang gazed down at his left hand where the bandage was. The group of girls accompanied him for a long time. After a while, he bid them farewell and walked to the place Shang and he agreed to meet. Yet even after the sun disappeared and darkness engulfed the place, there was still no sign of the older man. He then strode up to another meeting place which was a back-up in case something went wrong. Shang wasn’t there either. In other words, his partner could still be at that girl’s house.

“I have a bad feeling.”

The unpleasant feeling spread through him as he feared for what was to come.

“The girl we saved was wearing silk clothes and a coral hairpin. Seemed like she’s from a rich family. Could be held back for some feast as gratitude?”

Ling Ya tried to reassure its master. Lang wanted to believe the biwa’s words, but he was uncertain. Beyond the darkness, the highest place of the village was bright from a bonfire. Those village girls said it was the headman’s residence. And where Shang and that girl headed was also in the same direction. Then a thought crossed Lang’s mind.

_“Actually, another girl from the village tried this last year and it worked!”_

That was the headman’s daughter. She looked for a traveler who saved her once and found him _today_. That said man was portrayed exactly like Shang.

Right then, Ling Ya gasped. “No way…”

Lang heard an angry voice from afar. It was a faint, but with his ears, the sound reverberated through the wind. It seemed to be from the headman’s residence. Looking up, in the deep darkness, Lang spotted torches small as specks moving toward him. It appeared someone was being chased. There was only one person in Lang’s mind. Without hesitation, Lang along with Ling Ya darted toward the commotion.

 

\---------

 

It was a coincidence when they rescued that girl. Shang found her surrounded by vulgar thugs while passing through a deserted street. After being saved, she was moved. At first, Shang thought it was his imagination, so he agreed to accompany the girl home at her request.

“What am I going to do…”

Shang leaned back onto the chair. From the guest room’s window, he observed the scenery. Scarlet flowers bloomed in full glory among a weed-infested garden. It was balsam, the type of flower that could be found anywhere. In his younger days, he possessed no interest in flowers. But even then, he only knew red balsam came from the image of a flying phoenix. At that time, he paid no attention to that information, and then yet now it reminded him of a certain someone.

 “Ah, maybe Wu Yao is angry right now.”

His partner, Lang Wu Yao, whose robe swayed with grace as he fought, as if he danced, resembled a phoenix. Shang planned to return right after escorting the girl home which was why he left Lang at the village to get some rest. They parted before noon, but now the sky was dyed in the color of sunset, much like his partner’s hair. Knowing Lang’s short-temper, he must have gotten angry at Shang. No, Shang might have made him worried. As he thought on how to apologize to Lang, somebody knocked on the door.

“Sir Shang?”

It was the girl who beckoned him to stay. Her glossy black hair was held in two buns where extravagant red hairpins kept them in place. The milky white color of her skin, long eyebrows alongside crimson lips, and her eyeliner gave her a mature appearance despite her age. Smiling, she walked to Shang and grabbed his left hand. Her nails were dyed bright red.

It was shortly after the invitation into her home. As Shang intended to leave, he was led to a luxurious room and given excessive gratitude from her father. All of this was within his expectation, but the next words took him aback. The father told him about how Shang saved them back then, and how the daughter continued to harbor feelings for him.

“Would you consider marrying my daughter?” His proposal trapped Shang in confusion. There was no choice but to refuse from the beginning. But as he tried to turn them down without being rude, he was held back until darkness enveloped the mansion. Seeing the daughter in gaudy makeup added to his restlessness.

“Do you hate marrying me that much?”

Shang simply didn’t know how to deal with young ladies. Their tears troubled him.

“Or perhaps…you already have someone in your mind?”

Romantic stories did not exist in his wandering journey. Still, the dazzling figure of a musician flashed through his mind. The girl noted the subtle change on Shang’s face.

“As expected, you do have one.”

“Ah, that’s…”

While Shang attempted to explain, the girl gave him a wicked smile.

 

\--------

 

“Shang!”

Lang heaved a sigh of relief, seeing his partner safe and sound while running in the dark.

“Oh, Wu Yao!”

As they confirmed each other’s safety, the voices of pursuers continued to get closer.

“Gosh, did you ask for trouble again? You sure love doing that!”

“Who likes what? I’ll explain later. Just run for now!” Shang grumbled as he grabbed Lang’s right hand and broke into a sprint.

“Oh, is this a classic scene of eloping?”

“Shut up!”

Shang rebuked Ling Ya for his talkativeness. The three then disappeared into the darkness.

 

\---------

 

“It suits you,” Shang commented. His gaze fell onto Lang’s left hand which was laying on Shang's. The vividly red nails matched Lang’s phoenix-like appearance.

“The color is like an amulet and a wish, isn’t it?” The biwa left out the “first love” part while retelling the meeting with the girls.

“You don’t seem to be the type to believe in such stories. Though, what did you wish for?”

Hesitantly, Lang brought a finger to his lips. “It’s a secret.” Lang lowered his gaze to hide his embarrassment. His cheeks flushed as he bit his lower lip

Shang’s chest throbbed at his partner’s response.

“Hm? Your face is red, Bu Huan.” The know-it-all Ling Ya retorted. Blushing, Shang glared at the biwa. Only Lang didn’t notice the conversation.

“Well, well, it seems like Lang’s wish will be granted sooner or later,” Ling Ya muttered in a voice the other two couldn’t hear and snickered.

 

\---------

 

In the end, the color didn’t last very long. As the fierce battles continued, Lang didn’t have any spare time to care for the nails’ color. Within the span of only a month, the red color started to tatter and fade.

The only good thing that came out of this chaos was Shang putting on the nail dyes for him cherishingly. Nonetheless, as autumn came, Lang once again continued this ritual like a habit despite knowing it would soon disappear. Somewhere in Lang’s heart, he still hoped his feelings would reach that person one day.

 

The first winter when Shang wasn’t there. Lang watched the sky. His every breath condensed in the dreary weather. Lang raised his left hand toward the dull sky. A vivid red contrasted with the white surroundings. After being left behind, the amount of battles decreased, and he managed to keep his nails dyed. Almost sarcastically so.

“It’s so cold lately.” The biwa grunted even though it shouldn’t feel anything. Lang nodded. The owner of a tea shop said it would be snowing soon.

“Ah!” Ling Ya raised its voice, and Lang looked up. A flake descended onto his cheek.

“It’s snowing!”

That was their first snow.”

_“It is also said that if this color remained until the first snow fall, your first love will meet you again!”_

Those words came to mind. Yet his first love was not here. Transparent droplets traveled down Lang’s face.

“Are you crying?”

“No…The snow melted.” Lang once again gazed at his nails. Someday for sure, they would encounter each other again. He placed a gentle kiss on his nails.

 

\---------

 

“So that’s the whole story.”

Shang spat out his sake and coughed violently after Ling Ya finished reciting. Meanwhile, the main character had fallen asleep, using Shang’s lap as a pillow. The musician couldn’t hold his alcohol very well.

“What?! The nail dye has such a meaning?!” Shang was bewildered upon learning about it. Lang did say red nails were used for wishes, but Shang didn’t expect for him to have that kind of wish.

“Fall in love again? Head over heels for him again?” Ling Ya teased while being held in Lang’s arms. Shang averted his eyes, but his ears flushed red. He couldn’t deny the truth.

“So, what should be don-mmph?!”

Ling Ya was stopped from speaking any further. Shang lowered his gaze to meet Lang’s blushing face. Based on the musician’s expression, his partner was awake. Unfortunately so.

“…S-Shang…” Lang sluggishly got up and crawled onto the older man’s lap. He closed his glossy eyes; his lustrous lips stood out. Shang wasn’t that dense not to understand his partner’s actions.

“Shang-g…” Not sensing any movement from the older man, Lang called out his name again. Shang’s chest tightened. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Lang’s. The taste of alcohol burned his mouth. As Shang pulled away, the corners of Lang’s mouth rose as if elated. It was a simple act, yet Shang couldn’t resist the overwhelming endearment toward the man in his arms.

“Fufu, I love you, Bu Huan.”

Stunned by the sudden confession, Shang gave into the swelling affection within him. Before the musician’s blurry vision was his first love.

In that moment, his wish came true.

-Fin-

**Author's Note:**

> TN: So this one is my favorite! Also you can search "Korea nail dye" for more information. It's really cool~  
> Special thanks to a friend of mine who edited my broken grammars, you're the best!
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy it! :D


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